16 May 2003 : Column 437W
Written Answers to Questions
Friday 16 May 2003
PRIME MINISTER
House of Lords Appointments Commission
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister when he last met Lord Stevenson to discuss the work of the House of Lords Appointments Commission. [113593]
The Prime Minister: I have regular meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals on a wide range of subjects. As with previous administrations, it is not my practice to provide details of confidential discussions, under exemption 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
Iraq
Mr. Allen: To ask the Prime Minister what proposals he has made to President Bush for (a) the return of UN weapons inspectors to Iraq and (b) for other means of international verification of future discoveries of Saddam Hussein's alleged stocks of weapons of mass destruction; and what reply he received. [113013]
The Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the right hon. Member for Ross, Skye and Inverness West (Mr. Kennedy) at Prime Minister's questions on 14 May 2003, Official Report, column 307.
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister whether he invited the then Secretary of State for International Development to comment in writing on the draft UN Resolution on Iraq, tabled by the UK and USA, before 8 May. [113594]
The Prime Minister: As with previous Governments, it is not my practice to provide details of confidential discussions, under Exemption 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Police Recruitment
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications were received from (a) Roman Catholics and (b) Protestants for the most recent recruitment intake to the Police Service for Northern Ireland; and how many (i) Roman Catholic and (ii) Protestant applicants have been accepted for recruitment to the PSNI in this intake. [113785]
Jane Kennedy: Application and appointment numbers to date from the Police Service of Northern Ireland's recruitment competitions 3 and 4 are as follows.
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| Protestant | Roman Catholic | Non-determined | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Competition 3 | ||||
| Applications | 2,971 | 1,640 | 63 | 4,674 |
| Appointments | 79 | 83 | 0 | 162 |
| Competition 4 | ||||
| Applications | 2,817 | 1,477 | 74 | 4,368 |
| Appointments | 30 | 37 | 0 | 68 |
Further appointments remain to be made from both Competitions 3 and 4.
Competition 5 was launched in March 2003, and has attracted over 6,000 applicants, of whom 36.6 per cent. are Catholic. The selection process is ongoing, and appointments will not commence until the autumn.
WORK AND PENSIONS
Benefits Payment
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the future take-up of direct payment of benefits in (a) 2003–04, (b) 2004–05 and (c) 2005–06. [113581]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 15 May 2003]: The huge numbers of customers involved in the conversion process mean the changes will be phased over a two-year period which started earlier in 2003.
We have a published target in our public service agreement to pay 85 per cent. of customers by Direct Payment by 2005.
DEFENCE
Export Licences
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what undertakings the US has given on waiving bilateral export licensing requirements for unclassified information for exports to the UK. [113060]
Mr. Ingram: The United Kingdom and United States Governments are in the process of negotiating a waiver from the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). This would provide for export licensing requirements to be waived in the case of certain unclassified defence items and technical data to Her Majesty's Government and qualified companies in the UK.
We look forward to the successful conclusion of the agreement.
Illegal Arms Supply
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria are used in assessing whether a country is likely to be a conduit for arms supply to banned countries. [112291]
Mr. Straw: I have been asked to reply.
The risk of diversion of strategically controlled goods, to a third country is considered at the time of application for a licence, when this possibility is considered against
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Criterion 7 of the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. Criterion 7 addresses the existence of a risk that the equipment will be diverted within the buyer country or re-exported under undesirable conditions and includes consideration of the capability of the recipient country to exert effective export controls.
Afghanistan
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the continued existence of terrorist networks in the regions of Afghanistan outside the control of the International Security Assistance Force; and what counter-measures his Department is taking to address this. [112697]
Mr. Ingram: Al-Qaeda continues to pose a threat both to Afghanistan and more widely, despite considerable success against their leaders and operations. The United Kingdom remains committed to assisting President Karzai's Government in building a strong, independent Afghanistan committed to eradicating terrorism. The Security Sector Reform programme aims to bring lasting stability to all the Afghan people through building up the capabilities of the Afghans to ensure their own country's security and stability. I refer the hon. Member to the statement my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence made on 8 May 2003, Official Report, columns 38–40WS, regarding the UK leadership of a Provincial Reconstruction Team.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what steps his Department is taking to improve the stability of the regions of Afghanistan outside Kabul and its immediate environs; [112698]
- (2) what plans he has to extend the peacekeeping duties of British forces in Afghanistan beyond Kabul and the surrounding areas. [112699]
Mr. Ingram: British forces in Afghanistan are not engaged in peacekeeping duties although they do contribute towards the International Security Assistance Force; there are no plans to expand the remit of the force beyond Kabul. I refer the hon. Member to the written statement given to the House on 8 May 2003, Official Report, columns 38–40WS, regarding Provincial Reconstruction Teams.
Antonov
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions the MoD has chartered civilian Antonov An-124s in each month in the past two years. [112691]
Mr. Ingram: Antonov An-124s were chartered in the following months and numbers during the last two financial years:
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Armed Forces (Operational Duty)
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the (a) Army, (b) air force and (c) Navy was on operational duty at the start of each month since April 2001. [113250]
Mr. Ingram: Data on personnel deployed on operations and other Military Tasks is collected on a quarterly basis as part of the Ministry of Defence's performance management process. Percentage figures for each quarter since April 2001 are shown as follows. These figures do not include personnel preparing for operations, recovering from operations or engaged in training. Information for the last quarter of 2002–03 is still in the course of compilation and the figures are provisional.
| Service | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Army | Navy (including Marines) | RAF | |
| 2001–02 | |||
| April-June | 21.8 | 9.5 | 11.9 |
| July-September | 25.6 | 8.4 | 12.7 |
| October-December | 26.3 | 16.7 | 16.7 |
| January-March | 23.9 | 15.7 | 13.1 |
| 2002–03 | |||
| April-June | 24.6 | 17.5 | 12.6 |
| July-September | 23.9 | 13 | 10.9 |
| October-December | 32.5 | 16.5 | 19.1 |
| January-March | 55.6 | 28.5 | 21.8 |
Armilla Patrol
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the commitment of Royal Navy warships and personnel to the Gulf region; if the Armilla patrol will continue; and if he will make a statement. [112020]
Mr. Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence's two Written Ministerial Statements on Iraq Force Level Adjustments of 11 April 2003, Official Report, columns 38–39WS and 30 April 2003, Official Report, columns 15–16WS. Royal Naval force levels in the Gulf region will remain under review.
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